The Correct Combination
by AndIllWriteYouATragedy
Summary: Bruce believes he has found a way to save his friends and family, but first he has to say a quick goodbye. A short companion piece to my asktheavengers Tumblr blog. Warning: suicidal triggers and a very sad Avenger.


**I wrote this as a very short companion piece to my askavengers blog on Tumblr. I got bored and this exploded out of my soul.**

**A bit much?**

**It happens.**

**As per usual, none of this is mine yet. Except Beth and Tobias. And what I wrote. The usual.**

**********'So, without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I give to you,' the story!**

* * *

Bruce Banner was, by no means, an unintelligent man. He knew how the world worked, to a certain extent. He also knew the world was, more likely than not, against him. It was him against everyone else, and he was sick of it. He was stitching together his white flag; Bruce was ready to surrender.

When the quiet clock in the main living room chimed to let him know it was midnight, Bruce stood on stiff legs and walked robotically down the hallway. He gave Steve some obscure excuse as to why he was leaving while they were watching a movie. His first stop was the bright blue nursery where his six-month-old son was sleeping. He knelt beside the crib and watched his son sleep for a couple of minutes before leaning in and pressing his lips to his forehead.

"I love you, Tobias." Bruce whispered, trying not to wake up his son. Luckily, his son did not stir, and remained fast asleep. Bruce left the room, shutting the door softly and continuing on to the next room. The next door he opened revealed a gentle purple room where his two-year-old daughter was fast asleep in a small bed.

He crossed the dark room quietly and sat on the very edge of her bed. He pushed her tight, dark curls away from her light face. She blinked at him for a second, staring up at him with bleary brown eyes.

"Daddy?" she asked in her young voice. Bruce pushed her hair back again and pressed a kiss to her forehead, as he had done with Tobias.

"It's me. Go back to sleep, Bethie." Bruce whispered. His small daughter nodded and closed her eyes, falling quickly back into sleep. Bruce kissed her hair and stood up, leaving the room as silently as he could so as to not wake his daughter again. He shut the door gently and moved to the next room, the very last room before he went to the lab.

He opened the door hesitantly, not willing to see Tony a last time when he was asleep. He'd rather retain the image of Tony laughing while trying to get Beth to fall asleep from earlier that night, but he was the only one who was going to have that memory, so he may as well get closure. He didn't think he could do this without seeing Tony one last time, in any case.

He padded in his socks over to the bed that they shared and climbed into the middle. He wrapped himself around Tony, kissing down his husband's jaw lightly. Tony turned in Bruce's arms, the glow of the arc reactor in his chest illuminating both of their faces.

"Can't sleep?" Tony asked groggily. Bruce kissed Tony's lips before answering.

"Something like that." Bruce replied, kissing him twice more before pulling back. Tony frowned at him, eyes still mostly closed.

"Leaving me hanging?" Tony scooted closer to Bruce, and Bruce squeezed him tighter in his arms.

"Something like that." Bruce repeated, resting his cheek against Tony's hair when Tony tucked his face into Bruce's neck. "Sleep."

"Mm. Okay." Tony agreed easily, falling back to sleep as easily as their daughter had. Bruce shut his eyes tightly and breathed Tony's scent for a moment, absorbing all he could of his husband. A couple of minutes later, he disentangled himself and got off the bed. He left the room as quietly as he entered, shutting the door behind him.

"JARVIS, lock our bedroom door, please." Bruce told the AI as he headed towards the lab.

"Yes, Dr. Banner." JARVIS replied, and Bruce heard the click of the lock as he walked away. It gave him a small relief, and his chest loosened a little to know that Tony wouldn't stop him this time. "If I may ask, Dr. Banner, why?"

"Because I'm about to do something I don't want him stopping me from doing." Bruce answered vaguely.

"Dr. Banner, I must insist-" JARVIS began, but Bruce cut him off.

"Mute all." Bruce instructed softly, and JARVIS immediately fell silent. Bruce felt a small stab of guilt before pushing it aside and locking the door to the lab behind him from the inside. He tried not to drag his feet as he approached his lab table, unlocking the top drawer and pulling out the small case containing the three pills he had finally finished creating.

After much experimentation, he had eventually found the correct combination to successfully end both his life and the Hulk's, as the two seemed irreversibly attached to one another's. He withdrew the pills from the locked case he had been keeping them in, placing them on the lab table next to the water bottle he had left there earlier. He struggled to keep his heart rate from increasing with his nerves, trying to make the Hulk stay away by sheer force of will.

He mentally pulled together all the courage and logical thinking he had in his mind and swallowed the three pills all at once with a swig of water. He placed his hands on the table, palms flat against the cold surface, and closed his eyes.

He was immediately assaulted by images of his life, of his father, his mother, Mrs. Drake, Betty, the Avengers team, Tony, Beth, Tobias. He swallowed hard and felt his throat closing itself off. The Hulk roared within him, but he was dulled, and Bruce managed to smile before his knees buckled and he folded in on himself. He collapsed onto the floor as quietly as he had said goodbye.


End file.
